Creativity in Personal Statements?

[samsoonee]

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It's already hard enough summarizing yourself in 4500 characters, and I don't know how to make my PS more interesting.
Honestly, I don't want to put any spaces and just write it all out to save characters. Grrr...
Any suggestions on how to increase the chances of admissions officer staying wake during your PS? 😕

 

[fightingspirit]

It's already hard enough summarizing yourself in 4500 characters, and I don't know how to make my PS more interesting.
Honestly, I don't want to put any spaces and just write it all out to save characters. Grrr...
Any suggestions on how to increase the chances of admissions officer staying wake during your PS? 😕

originality and straightforwardness go way further than creativity. remember, simpler is better. don't reveal what's not worth revealing and for what's worth revealing, write clearly and simply (avoid high-fallutin language and long words)....have a few people read it and give you feedback. remember it should be original and yours so don't take all feedbacks seriously but if the same feedback keeps coming from different people, then you probably need to consider it more seriously.

 

[Uracil]

I took forever to start writing my personal statement and just started last Sunday....I was in the same boat..and now i'm very happy with it after working on it for hours. This is my advice..

1. First off all, ASK YOURSELF what makes you DIFFERENT from everyone else (life experiences, extracurricular activities, sports, family, culture, etc.) If you still think nothing makes you different, then ask your mom, dad, or cousin, etc. about something unique related to who you are... 😉

2. Think about an experience in your life related to that and begin from there. Make the introduction interesting..by asking a question, or something that would stand out in the very first line of your statement..it could be dramatic..it doesn't matter...If you don't have any creativity...put all your effort in that first sentence of your statement.

3. Tell a STORY.. it's a good way to keep the reader interested, and put some biographical information and everything else you would like to say or explain (dental experience, activities, academics, etc)...

4. End summarizing what you have stated and why dentistry meets your personal and professional goals.

and ... Keep it simple...
Make some people look at it and give you some feedback too, which is essential. Hope this help kind of...Good Luck

 

[Gulch]

Great advice here already! I'll just add a few cents to the hat. I wonder what you mean by creative...Do you mean creative as in pasting a photograph set to polka? Or creative like not going to talk about how enamored you are with fillings? Big difference.

First of all don't stress out about your essay too much. It seems to count for little overall in what is largely a numbers game. In fact, I'm sure a lot of people are accepted in SPITE of their essays. Really it is just to sort of flesh out your otherwise numerical application with a personality. But still, take pride in it and polish it up til it shines.

Second, stories rock - if you can tell them right. Just find a story that: 1.)illustrates who you are, 2.)shows why you are interested in dentistry, 3.)something that is actually fun to read (doesn't have to be about dentistry directly) 4.)Not cliche or unbelievably altruistic

Third, come up with a few ideas and just let them flow in a word doc. If the right words don't come at first, just type out a stream of consciousness until you're moving in the right direction. Once you have found a concept that is coherent, slog it out and don't correct it until you're done. THEN, edit it like crazy. I mean shred the thing until it bleeds red ink. Be prepared to part with irrelevant parts you thought were clever. Your best paper will pare everything down to "just what you need."

Lastly, a good hook and follow through make all the difference. Knock'em out! Consider an essay that begins with a question or a verb or dialogue or short attention grabbing sentences. Even a decent quote will get me if it is unexpected. How cool would it be to tie in a quote from RW Emerson, Wild Bill Hitchcock, Robert Plant, Jerry Seinfeld or Sid Vicious? I would think, "I want to see how the heck this works into dentistry." and I'm hooked.

Best of luck.

 

[samsoonee]

wow, thanks for all the advice guys! hopefully, I will get my final draft by the end of the week...